To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 13

“It’s okay. Good girl. Good girl, Scarlett.”

Noah gently comforted Scarlett, who was crying like a child. It took her some time before she finally spoke, sniffling with a hoarse voice.

“I’m not a kid.”

“You are a kid.”

Noah replied teasingly, a smile forming on his face for the first time. It was mischievous, yet lighthearted.

His distinctively handsome features, stern expression, and relaxed demeanor blended together to create a certain tension—one hard to describe. Like a fae of the night, beguiling and dangerous.

“Want me to give you a piggyback ride?”

He asked gently, his eyes warm and his voice like honey.

Noah wasn’t aware of the expression he wore or the way he was treating her. He was simply unable to contain the flood of complicated emotions inside him.

“My legs won’t move… Why is no one here? What about the carriage? The kidnappers?”

He had killed them all. But Noah said nothing. There was no benefit to Scarlett knowing that.

“They must’ve let their guard down.”

“And you? How did you do it?”

“It’s all about having a plan. Living at the bottom teaches you a lot of things.”

Smiling faintly, Noah gently brushed away the strands of hair stuck to her tear-streaked cheeks. Scarlett flinched noticeably at his touch.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Her face swollen from sobbing, Scarlett looked utterly drained—on the verge of fainting. Her body limp, she allowed herself to be carried on Noah’s back.

She gave up trying to figure out the two versions of Noah she knew.

Her head throbbed from crying too much, exhaustion weighed on her like water, and if she got any more emotional, she felt she might collapse.

Noah began making his way through the forest, reading the stars to find direction, mentally recalling maps to guess their location.

“Scarlett. Aren’t you hungry?”

“When we get back, I want chicken soup first.”

“That’s hangover food. Have you even had a drink before?”

“Andrew and I once stole some of Aaron’s wine and drank it in secret. It was a 2 million Berque bottle. What about you?”

“I’ve had plenty. In the winter, we used to drink diluted rum.”

“You’re not supposed to drink cheap stuff like that.”

To keep her calm, Noah made small talk. Scarlett carefully leaned her face against his shoulder.

Her body was so heavy with fatigue it felt like she was soaked in water. But the tension of the situation kept her awake.

How did she end up relying on Noah Ashford? Still, her head was too fuzzy to dwell on it. All that mattered was surviving and making it back.

“If we make it back safely… I’ll invite you to Scott’s cocktail bar. It’s not technically mine, but what’s his is basically mine anyway.”

“What kind of person is Scott? You seem closest to him.”

“We’re thirteen years apart. He’s Susan’s twin, but they’re nothing alike.”

Scarlett continued, panting between words.

“Susan is cold and stiff, but Scott is warm and gentle. That’s why he gets along with all the siblings. Totally different from selfish Aaron. I used to wish Scott were my dad. He’s kind, domestic, soft… not like jokester Andrew or stone-faced John.”

“He must really love you.”

“Scott… he—”

Just then, a faint figure appeared between the trees in the distance. Thinking it might be the mafia, Noah quickly pulled her behind a large tree.

Scarlett crouched with her knees to her chest, shivering as she watched the shadowy figures emerge through the trees.

Noah, on high alert, kept his eyes locked on the darkness. If it was the kidnappers, he planned to blindfold Scarlett and deal with them immediately. But—

“Scott!”

Before he could stop her, Scarlett dashed forward. Her skirt brushed against Noah’s hand.

Even in the dark, she had seen him clearly. That’s the difference between real family and those who merely share a name.

Scarlett threw herself into Scott’s arms as soon as he appeared. Recognizing her, Scott caught her and held her tight.

“Oh my God! Thank you, God. Scarlett… Thank you, thank you…”

Scott kept alternating between stroking her hair, cupping her cheeks, and murmuring prayers.

His voice trembled with deep, overwhelming relief.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Why only now…? Cravitz knew everything. Why did it take you so long…? I thought I was going to die. I was so scared.”

“I’m sorry. God… I was too late. I’m sorry. Are you really okay? Anywhere hurt?”

“Nothing happened.”

Scott took out a magic stone to check her condition.

When he saw how gaunt her face had become, his own expression cracked. His jaw clenched involuntarily.

His eyes burned, ready to kill whoever did this.

But as soon as Scarlett looked at him, he quickly masked it.

“Let’s go home.”

“Wait a second.”

Scarlett turned back and shouted into the bushes.

“Noah! Come out!”

Scott’s eyes narrowed. Scarlett gestured toward the shadows she had come from.

Noah emerged slowly, sheepishly. Scott White always made him tense.

“Let’s go.”

“What the hell is he doing here?”

“He was kidnapped too. Noah Ashford saved me. So it’s only right that he comes with us.”

“I’m asking why you were with him in the first place.”

“Cravitz knows everything. I’m tired. How long are you going to keep me standing here?”

“…We’ll talk later.”

Scott sighed and picked her up in his arms, as if used to it. As they walked, he quietly explained things to her.

“We found out before the kidnappers had a chance to go public. The rest of the family still doesn’t know.”

“Good. If Aaron had found out, he would’ve gone ballistic.”

“The capital’s mafia would’ve been wiped out by tomorrow. He’d have stirred up the military.”

Scarlett giggled. Even her faint smile made Scott swallow a sigh.

“Just rest your eyes for now.”

“Yeah. It’s been a hell of a day.”

Comforted by a familiar scent, Scarlett finally relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

Scott ordered the mercenaries to capture any remaining kidnappers, then boarded the carriage they’d brought.

Laying her down, Scott gently brushed her long hair back, inspecting her as if she were a fragile creature.

“How did you escape?”

“…I simply had the strength to do it.”

“Well, I guess the investigation will reveal everything eventually.”

Scott’s gaze toward Noah was different from how he looked at Scarlett.

Same gray eyes, but where Scarlett’s sometimes turned hysterical, Scott’s were like a massive glacier—freezing everything that approached, exuding cold by presence alone.

“Whatever you’re hoping to get from her, you’ll never get it.”

“I don’t want anything from Scarlett. If I had to name something, I’d say… I just want her to feel at peace.”

“Ha. Can you prove that?”

“I saved her life today. What greater proof could there be?”

“Not to win her over?”

“She approached me first. If anyone wanted something, it would be Scarlett.”

“You’re someone with a lot to pay. If you have nothing to give, you’ll have to sell your body, your mind, and your soul to atone.”

“I never asked to be born like this!”

He had never wished to be a bastard. He hadn’t chosen it. If his mere existence was a sin, then why did God even create him?

“True. She didn’t ask to be born like this either. But your mother made her choice—of her own free will. My father was cast out by his children and lost everything, but your mother? She’s still not paid for it. Not yet.”

Noah bit his lip until it bled. Then he protested.

“Scarlett is an adult. Stop trying to control her. She can choose… whether to forgive or not.”

Forgiveness.

That word, more than anything, belonged to Noah Ashford.

“She is an adult. You’re the ones who keep treating her like a little girl.”

“Don’t you dare say her name with that mouth.”

“Scarlett is my sister too. There’s no reason I can’t say her name.”

Scott clenched his jaw. Noah curled his lips into a tight smile. His deep, stormy eyes gleamed with fierce intensity—clear evidence of the steel will within Noah Ashford.

“Scarlett said something. ‘Not Isaac. Just kill me.’ What the hell happened? Can the White family not even protect the sister they claim to love so dearly? Is that why someone like me makes you all so nervous?”

Noah paused, inhaled, and spoke firmly.

“But today, I protected Scarlett. Even if we’re only half-siblings—she’s still my sister.”

Scott’s face twisted in fury. Before the White family, Noah had always felt like a criminal. But this was the first time he’d turned the tables.

He smiled, low and satisfied, like a growling beast. It was a smile of victory.

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